


Hidden Wounds

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Apologies, Blood and Injury, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Memories, Nightmares, Promises, Protectiveness, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 14:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: A split second of distraction turns out to be costly, especially when Noctis hides the damage to try and protect his friends.





	1. Chapter 1

    Noctis wasn’t sure what had distracted him. Maybe it was the sight of the Niflheim insignia. The crest of his enemies, the crest of those who had killed his father, flashing in front of his eyes as he downed the imperial soldier, before whirling to parry another blow. Barely aware of Ignis at his back as the older man stepped smoothly in behind his blow and finished off his opponent. Or maybe it was the way the light played across his skin as he hastily switched weapons, the exhausting weight of the great sword giving way to his javelin. A skill that he’d used for years, but which now brought up painful memories of watching his father fight and that made him wonder if his father had been fighting at the end. If the same light had been playing over his skin when they had cut him down…

    Whatever it was that had distracted him, he found himself turning a split second too late towards another blow and even as he brought the javelin up he knew that it was too late. Still, he tried, doing his best to deflect the worst of the attack and for a wild moment he thought that he succeeded, but then the pain registered, a burning sensation that ran from his shoulder down his side and then he was falling backwards, the Imperial soldier coming down on top him. The added weight on top of the injury had him crying out, vision blurring around the edges and yet still he fought, switching to his daggers for close range as the mechanical face of his foe loomed too close for comfort.

    He never got chance to use them, a large broadsword sweeping into view and flinging the soldier off him, hastily, not sure what he was doing he yanked his jacket tighter, hiding the injury and shredded t-shirt from view. It hurt, and he hissed under his breath, relieved that he hadn’t made any other sound because the next moment Gladiolus was there glaring down at him, all traces of joviality gone for the moment and his voice was harsh even as he held out a hand to help him up.

“Pay attention.” It was harsher than Noctis had ever heard it, and he actually hesitated for a moment before accepting the other man’s hand, swallowing as he forced back a cry of pain as new fire raced down his side as he let himself be pulled to his feet and instead focused on apologising.

“Right, sorry.”  

“Noct…” Ignis murmured as he dropped back into his usual spot at Noctis’ side, no doubt having caught the soft intake of breath that Noctis couldn’t stop as he straightened. There was no way he could have missed it given how close he was standing. And when Noctis glanced at him, he could see the barely concealed concern, and he hastily mustered a weak smile, struggling not to glance down at himself and make sure that the evidence of his injury was hidden, knowing that Ignis would be fluttering around him in a panic if he knew about it.

“I’m fine.” _I’m not…_ He knew it was bad, knew that he should say something, but Gladiolus was still watching him out of the corner of his, and he couldn’t bring himself to disappoint the man again. Or to add to the ever-present concern in Ignis’ eyes, and so he added as strongly as he could. “Let’s finish this.” The approving nod was almost worth it. Almost, because Six it hurt as he forced himself to run forward, switching back to the javelin, determined not to let them get close again and praying that the fight would end before he collapsed.

_Please, let me get through this._

**

    For once his plea had been answered, the fight quickly put to an end, with the four of them left standing in the midst of broken bodies and scuffed ground, all of them breathing heavily and glancing at one another to check they were alive. Noctis was careful to stand tall, although now that no one was out for his neck all he wanted to do was crumple into a heap. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell the others, forcing a grin when Prompto descended into his post-battle joy, envying his friend as the blond bounced around re-enacting the most exciting parts of the battle. He didn’t try to copy him, instead nodding wearily as Ignis suggested that they return to the car with their latest bounty before they ran into another patrol and falling into step as the older man began to lead the way back. At least in the car, he could rest.

     Movement on his left told him he was no longer alone, and he lifted his head to find that Gladiolus was there, the harshness from earlier banished from his expression although there was a strained edge to the grin he tossed in his direction.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier.” Noctis blinked at the apology. While Gladiolus had been harsher than usual earlier, it wasn’t the first time he had been told to focus or to pay more attention. The older man had been his trainer after all, and as much as he would deny it, he hadn’t been a perfect student, far from it, remembering all the times he had tried to slip away and wiggle out of it. He went to shrug, not needing the apology, only to stiffen as he jarred his injury and he had to fight tooth and nail to stop himself from gasping with pain and giving himself away.

“It’s…” He had to pause, licking his lips in an attempt to moisten them, praying that Gladiolus would dismiss it as an after effect of fighting in such a dusty area. “It’s fine, you were right I should have been paying more attention.”

“But…”

“It’s fine,” Noctis cut him off, realising belatedly that it had come out too sharply and he sighed, offering Gladiolus what he hoped was an apologetic look and not a grimace. “Sorry, I’m just tired.” _And injured…_

“Yeah…” The quiet agreement surprised him, and he took a closer look at Gladiolus, realising that the other man looked weary. Maybe not physically, because Noctis knew from painful experience that the other man could go and go when it came to that kind of thing, but mentally - the last couple of weeks weighing heavily on him. On all of them, he amended as he glanced across at them. It was there in the way that Prompto’s voice would waver whenever he mentioned Insomnia and what could be happening in the city, even when he brought up memories of happier times there was a catch in his voice. It was there in the way that Gladio was constantly checking his phone, no doubt hoping for more news from Iris and the way he had intensified his morning workouts, his expression darker than Noctis had ever seen it as he worked his way through invisible foes. Even Ignis failed to completely hide his feelings, hands too tight on the wheel of the car when he drove, pausing whenever they passed a radio or newspaper, his expression darkening for a moment if it brought fresh news of the fall of Insomnia. 

    They were all tired, of everything and it reinforced his resolve to hide his injury. They needed a break, not something else to worry and so he gathered himself, biting his bottom lip as he forced himself to straighten, before reaching out and patting Gladiolus on the shoulder.

“We’ll have a break when we get back,” he murmured. _A long break,_ he prayed silently, although he knew that it wasn’t possible. At most, they would get a night, but they would have to move on. They had learned the hard way that no matter how discrete people were, they were always found if they stayed in one place for any longer and he really didn’t want to bring more trouble down on their heads just because he had slipped up in a fight. “We can get Ignis to cook something special, we should have plenty of ingredients after all these bounties we’ve collected.” That did it, a bright grin replacing the world-weary look on Gladiolus’ face and he clapped Noctis on the back, thankfully missing the yelp that the Prince barely managed to swallow back, his vision whiting out for a moment. _It hurt. Six, it hurts…_ By the time his vision had come back to him, Gladiolus had moved ahead to pester Ignis about food, and he huffed out a sigh of relief.

     Now that the other three were distracted, Prompto happily changing tracts when food cropped up, leaving Noctis to trail, unnoticed behind them. He waited a couple of minutes, making sure that they weren’t going to try and drag him into the conversation before surreptitiously lifting his jacket and taking a peek at the damage underneath. His resolve to keep this to himself wavering as he realised that it was deeper than he had thought, blood still oozing sluggishly from the wound, the material of his t-shirt clinging to it and he winced just at the thought of having to peel that away later. Dropping the jacket back into place, he rooted in his pocket and found a potion, sighing as he stared at it, he wished that it was a hi-potion, but even that wouldn’t be enough at this stage. Hesitating for a moment his fingers tightened around the vial, smashing it, and feel the magic washing through him. It took the edge off, barely, and he grimaced but knew he wasn’t going to get anything better.

**

    He had never been so glad to see the car, or for the fact that it was still bright daylight which meant that he didn’t need to take the wheel. He was barely able to walk straight at this point, and the mere thought of trying to drive… He shook his head, waving off the concerned glance that Ignis sent his way and hastily claiming his spot in the back, practically melting into the seat, biting his lip to stop himself from groaning. It hurt, and he almost wished that he stayed standing, not sure if he was going to be able to get up again at the other end. _It hurts…_

“Noct?” Prompto was peering at him from the front passenger seat, expression darkened with concern and Noctis hastily pasted a grin onto his face, hoping that it was more convincing than it felt. Maybe not from the way his friend’s frown deepened, and he hastily sat up, ignoring the fresh burn that settled into his wound.

“I’m just tired,” he explained, making an exaggerated sigh as he gestured to the trail of footprints that indicated where they had come from. “We’ve walked too much today.” It was the perfect way to distract the blond, and it worked, the frown instantly disappearing as he let out an exaggerated sigh and flopped against the back of the seat.

“Tell me about it,” Prompto groaned dramatically, before turning to glance at Ignis, obviously weighing his mood before adding in a wheedling tone.  “We need to ride the Chocobos more.” Noctis snorted softly at that, easing himself back in the seat and closing his eyes, focusing on just breathing as the wound throbbed with each breath that he took. _It hurts…_

“Will you stop with that nonsense,” Ignis grumbled, it was a familiar debate between the two now, and he sounded more resigned than irritated. “The car is more than adequate, and the exercise is good for us.”

“But…”

“I think Prompto wants to walk home,” was Gladiolus’ contribution to the conversation, earning an outraged squawk from Prompto followed by frantic denials. It wouldn’t be the first time that Ignis had tossed him or Noctis out of the car for complaining too much, and Noctis even managed to smile. It was easier to force the pain from his mind with their antics to distract him.

    Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to distract him from the fresh agony that came as the Regalia rumbled to life, and it took everything he had to stop himself from making a noise. Desperate, hoping that the others would leave him be for the rest of the ride because right now he didn’t trust himself to be able to get a word out rather a whimper.

**

     They must have left him in peace because the next thing he was aware of although he didn’t think he had lost consciousness was the Regalia coming to a halt and he had to fight back a sigh of relief as the vibrations disappeared. Unfortunately, the pain was slower to fade, echoes of the vibrations still working their way through his body, the wound screaming at him and part of him just wanted to make a noise, to do something that would alert the others that something was wrong _. It hurts_. The mere thought of opening his eyes, let alone getting out of the car and moving around was nearly enough to bring him to tears, but before he could into the temptation his stubborn side reared its head. Gritting his teeth as he forced his eyes open, blinking at the brightness that greeted him and it took him a moment to focus.

    Thankfully that was normal, and the others didn’t seem to notice anything, already sliding out of the car and talking cheerfully about handing in the bounty and food. For once he wanted to be involved, he wanted to be able to chat easily and laugh, watching as Prompto’s laugh broke off and the blond turned bright red at whatever had just been said to him. Forcing that thought away he reached for the door, gasping as fire lanced through his side, but doggedly he gripped the handle and pushed it open, vision whiting out for a moment.

“Noct? Hurry up!” For a wild moment, he thought that Ignis had realised that something was wrong, and without thinking, he pushed himself up and out of the seat without taking the time to ease him out. He tasted copper in his mouth, and that was the first sign that he had, that he’d bitten into his bottom lip to hold back a sharp cry of pain as he made it out of the car. _It hurt…_ He wobbled, and only sheer willpower made him straighten, trying to make his expression as blank as possible as he lifted his face to find the others just turning towards him. Hastily releasing his abused bottom lip and swiping at the damage with his tongue, he glowered at them, acting as he usually would when roused from a nap.

“What?”

“Noct…” Ignis’ voice held the usual note of exasperation when dealing with him, and he fought back a sigh of relief. They hadn’t noticed. “Are you, all right? You look pale?” Apparently, it was too soon to relax, and he stiffened, fresh fire igniting in his shoulder but he ignored it.

“Just tired.” That much was true, he felt ready to topple into bed and sleep for days, and his gaze strayed to the motel that lay beyond the restaurant. There was no way he wanted to deal with his injury while camping and given the amount of work they’d done lately they all deserved a break. Nodding to himself he swung his attention back to Ignis, knowing that he would be the one to convince. “Why don’t we stay here for tonight? Sleep in a proper bed for once?” His voice was strained, but thankfully no one noticed because Prompto let out a whoop and danced on the spot chanting about soft beds and warm showers and Noctis knew that he had a staunch ally.

“I…”

“One night wouldn’t hurt, right Iggy?” Gladiolus stepped in, and Noctis glanced at him in surprise. He was usually the first to argue for camping, but then he remembered how exhausted the older man had seemed earlier and suddenly it didn’t seem surprising any more but worrying. They were all worn thin, and he grimaced, shifting to try and shield his shoulder from sight. Now more than ever he was convinced that he couldn’t let them know about his injury. Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, but it seemed more like a force of habit than actual irritation, and after a moment he dropped his hand and nodded.

“Very well.”

“I’ll check us in, why don’t you collect our bounty?” Noctis suggested, trying not to sound too eager, luckily, he was always keen to check them in when they decided to stay in motels as it meant that he could get to bed sooner, and so no one blinked an eye at him asking. It felt like Ignis spent an extra minute studying him and he fought the urge not to squirm, it had taken him a long time to hold out against that gaze and sometimes he still wavered.

“Fine, but do try and stay awake until dinner.”

“You know me I could never miss your cooking.” Right now, Noctis couldn’t face the thought of food, but there was no way he was going to say that as it would have everyone buzzing around him in alarm.

“Yes, I do know you,” Ignis replied. “That’s why I warned you to stay awake.” Noctis pulled a face at him but nodded, waving them off and sighing when they headed towards the restaurant without a backwards glance.

    He remained where he was for a minute, trying to gather enough energy to move towards the motel, something that felt like an impossible task at the moment. Still he knew there was no way he would be able to fool them if they returned and he was still standing there, and so he forced himself to move, going around to the boot to retrieve his bag and to steal the medical kit from Ignis’ bag, trusting the others to get their own stuff. Even holding the bag with his uninjured arm hurt, and he hissed and nearly dropped it. _It hurts._ He bit at his already injured lip, the fresh pain jolting him into action and he began to move, heading towards the motel as quickly as he could force his abused body to go.

**

    Somehow, he managed to get them all checked in, although his vision and hearing were starting to go towards the end and he was practically staggering when he made it to the rooms they would be sharing. The urge to just fall onto the nearest bed was high, especially after nearly a week and half of camping and no proper bed, but he knew that was a bad idea. He dropped his bag on it before heading for the bathroom, medical kit in hand and clutching at the door frame as his knees threatened to buckle beneath him, vision blacking out entirely for a moment.

     The world came back into focus, hazy around the edges and he wobbled forwards, shutting the door behind him so that the others wouldn’t walk in on him and then leant against the basin and stared at his reflection. He was naturally pale, but now it looked as though someone had drained all the colour out of his face and he was amazed that Ignis had believed his lie earlier. He looked like he was about to collapse and he grimaced, taking in the feverish light in his eyes, the sweat beginning to bead against his forehead as he lent more and more of his weight on the counter. This was a terrible idea. He needed help, and yet slowly, hands trembling he began to remove his jacket, hissing as it caught, stuck to the t-shirt and wound with his own blood and carefully bundling it up in the hopes of keeping the mess to the minimum.

    He had to take a breather before attempting to remove his t-shirt, and if he hadn’t had such a limited wardrobe, he might have settled for tearing it apart. Instead, he painstakingly peeled it off, unable to hold back a whimper as it caught on the wound and his vision darkened again.

    Breathing slowly and blinking he waited for his vision to clear before looking at his reflection and getting his first proper glimpse of the injury, a deep gash that ran from his shoulder down his side, it was still oozing blood in a couple of places, but the rest had stopped with the potion. A potion that seemed to have done very little he realised with a grimace, knowing that too much time had passed to try a stronger one now. He was going to need to deal with this the old-fashioned way, and he tried not to think about the scar it was going to leave or about the other scars on his back, failing as he found his eyes trailing the wound again and again before he reached for the medical kit with fumbling hands.

_I can do this…_

**

    By the time, he had dealt with the wound as best he could, cleaning it and completing the awkward task of stitching himself up. For once grateful for all the lessons that Ignis and Gladiolus had drilled into his head over the years although he doubted either of them would be happy with the messy stitches, he was sweating and drooping. It took the last of his energy to bandage it, a sloppy attempt considering he couldn’t get the right angle and his strength was fading by the second. Breathing heavily, he washed his hands, downed two pain meds and splashed water into his mouth before tidying up his mess with trembling hands, grimacing as he took the bloody clothes and staggered back into the bedroom, relieved to see the others were still out and about.

    He hid the clothes in the bottom of his bag, making a note to wash them before Ignis found them, before finding a loose baggy t-shirt. One he had stolen from Gladiolus years before and which was well on its way to falling apart. But it was loose and would hide the evidence of his injury, and that was all he cared about, making no effort to hold back another whimper as he pulled it on, there was no point in hiding when there was no one there to see him.

    He contemplated staying up and waiting for them, knowing that Ignis would insist on dragging him out of bed anyway when dinner was ready. However, his eyes were already drooping, exhaustion coupled with the medication that he had taken leaving him asleep on his feet, and it only took him a minute to make up his mind, nudging the bag onto the floor and crawling onto the bed. Even that hurt, so much that his eyes watered and his vision wavered, but he pushed through it as he slipped under the covers and carefully laid on his uninjured side. His eyes drifting shut before he had even finished getting settled and he spared one last though to hope that the others didn’t shake him awake before he was gone, breathing evening out.

 


	2. Chapter 2

     It felt like he had barely closed his eyes before he was being roused by a firm, insistent voice just by his ear and he jolted, remembering too late that he was injured, and his vision went white for a moment. His hands balling under the covers as he fought tooth and nail to hold back a howl of pain. _It hurts._  He was about to give up and curl up miserably when Ignis spoke again, reminding him that he wasn’t alone, and the concern in the older man’s voice reminded him of why he was going to the lengths he was to hide this injury.

“Noct, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Y-yeah.” _No,_ it didn’t sound convincing in his own ears, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself and slowly straightening, waiting for the pain to settle back into a steady burn before trying again. “Yeah, you just startled me.” Privately he was thanking the Six that Ignis hadn’t decided to shake him awake, or send Prompto to rouse him as his best friend’s usual tactic was to leap on top of him and just the thought of that at the moment had him wincing. He blinked, glancing at the windows and realising that it was dark outside now although he blinked again to make sure, vision still blurring around the edges. However, the sight didn’t change, and he frowned before glancing up at Ignis who was still watching him with narrowed eyes, and he had to fight the urge to check the bandages were hidden.  “What time is it?”

“Late,” Ignis replied, before adding sternly. “You need to eat.”

      Food was the last thing that he wanted right now, his stomach churning at the mere thought of trying to keep something down, but he obediently shuffled to the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. He felt groggy, his head throbbing and vision blurring worse than ever, and when he nudged the covers aside and tried to rise, he realised that his body felt heavy. However, he couldn’t let himself falter, not with Ignis watching his every move and he forced himself upright, fairly sure that he must be wobbling, but the older man seemed content to see him up. “Come through as soon as you’re ready.” Noctis managed to nod, relieved when Ignis immediately headed through to the communal area, although he wished that he closed the door after him as he could see Prompto’s head turning in his direction which meant that he couldn’t give in to the urge to slump.

     Slowly, feeling as though he could just slump to the ground at any moment he headed for the bathroom, wanting to check the bandages before he had to sit through a meal with the others. It felt like it took forever to get to the bathroom, and his head was swimming by the time he reached it, and he had to lean against the door for a moment, his eyes shut as he waited for the world to settle down. _How am I going to hide this?_ There was no way he was going to be able to keep the food down or hold a conversation and right now he was worried that he would even be able to remain upright, let alone stay awake for the duration of a meal. He blinked, suddenly overcome with a desire to just weep. Everything was too much right now, everything hurt and he didn’t want to be strong or independent, he just wanted to curl up and sleep until this was over.

    That wasn’t an option though, and he allowed himself one more moment of rest and feeling for himself before staggering to the sink and staring at his reflection. He looked worse than earlier, and he was surprised that Ignis hadn’t quizzed him further on it, although at the moment they all looked worse for wear, Prompto had spent nearly an hour the other day bemoaning the fact. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, although he grimaced at how pale he was, and the unhealthy brightness to his eyes, but there was little he could do about it now. Realising that they would be hounding him if he took much longer he carefully lifted the baggy t-shirt, hoping that they didn’t expect him to actually get dressed for dinner, hissing as he the movement jarred him and his expression darkened as he realised that there were spots of blood showing through the bandages.

“Damn it…” There was nothing he could do about it now, he had already exhausted the medical kit earlier, it had already been low after the constant fights with Imperials and the hunts for the bounties, and now it was practically empty. Dropping the t-shirt once more he checked his reflection, tugging at the colour when he realised he could see a glimpse of the bandages showing through, before deciding that there was nothing more he could do.

    Praying that he could get through the meal and go back to sleep with his friends none the wiser he forced himself to move. His body feeling heavier than ever and his head swimming, leaving him feeling as though he was wading through water, or rather like he was stuck back in the marsh that Prompto had shoved him into a couple of weeks before.

    The others were waiting for him, and he grimaced, realising that they had waited to start their meal, although hopefully if they were focused on eating, they wouldn’t pay as much attention to him and his lack of appetite, or so he hoped.

“I thought you were going to stay awake?” Prompto teased as he sat down, gritting his teeth as even that was enough to send a line of fire coursing up his side, and he had to force a grin as he glanced at the blond, silently cursing him for dragging him into the conversation already.

“I had to test out the beds, wouldn’t want you to complain that they’re not soft enough,” he retorted, and Prompto promptly coloured at the reminder of how much he had complained the first time they had camped out, and Noctis was relieved when the blond hastily turned his attention back to his food.

    It was a new recipe he noted distantly as he forced himself to take a bite, disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to enjoy it as much as he usually would but relieved at the same time as Gladio and Prompto began to sing their praises to Ignis. It was a distraction, and right now he would take anything he could get, slowly forcing down another bite, his stomach churning. This was a bad idea, probably right up there with hiding his injury, but he forced himself to continue, listening absently as Ignis recited his newest recipe to the others, the words washing over him, but the sound was soothing, and it gave him something other than his burning side and unhappy stomach to focus on.

    However, there was only so much that his body was willing to take, and when his stomach cramped painfully to the point where he thought that he was going to throw up then and there, he hastily set his plate down. Unfortunately, the movement promptly drew everyone’s attention to him, and he wanted to growl. Just for once couldn’t they be less observant? Less focused on him? He hid his scowl though, offering Ignis what he hoped would pass for an apologetic smile rather than a grimace.

“I’m done,” he explained, eye twitching at the shocked noise from Prompto. Not that he could blame the blond as they normally ended up squabbling over seconds, usually with Gladio sneaking in to steal them while they were arguing. “Sorry Ignis, it was delicious though.” He was sure it was, even if all he could taste right now was bile as he fought back the urge to throw up what he’d just eaten and he knew that if he didn’t say something that the others would know something was wrong.

“Maybe you’re coming down with something?” Ignis asked with a frown, fiddling with his glasses as he always did when concerned and Noctis wanted to groan. Of course, it wouldn’t be as simple as that, but at least the older man had offered him an excuse that he could use for the time being.

“Maybe,” Noctis was happy to roll with that for now, even if it meant that Ignis would be watching him closely for the next few days. At least it would buy him a little time, and with a yawn that was only half feigned he staggered to his feet.  “I’ll sleep it off.”  Mumbling a goodnight, he practically fled to the bedroom as quickly as he could, sighing with relief when he closed the door behind him, sinking against it for a moment and having to catch himself before he could slide all the way down.

     He remained like that for a couple of minutes, just breathing and trying to get his stomach to settle down, listening for any sign that the others were going to follow. Once he was confident that he wasn’t going to throw up at the slightest movement, he pushed himself away from the door, swaying slightly and stumbling as he made his way back to his bed, ready to weep with relief as he toppled onto the bed. He didn’t even have the energy to fix the covers, eyes drifting shut as he buried his face in the pillows with a sigh.

**

    Gladiolus was the first to realise that Ignis was still staring at the bedroom door, and he paused, taking in the worried glint in the green eyes.

“Ignis?”

“It’s nothing,” Ignis replied after a moment, blinking as he finally dragged his gaze away from the door, reaching out for Noctis’ abandoned plate and covering it. “He might want it later.” There was an edge to his voice that belied the calmness he was aiming for, and Gladio saw Prompto frowning out of the corner of his eye, glad that he wasn’t the only one to notice it.

“You’re worried about him.” It wasn’t really a question, after all, they all worried about Noct, especially with recent events. But there was something more to Ignis’ concern at the moment, and after a moment Ignis sighed and nodded. “I’m sure he’s just tired.” They were all tired, but none of them was blind to the fact that Noctis had been sleeping a lot less than normal and what sleep he did get was often disturbed with nightmares although he did his best to hide that from them, going out of his way to make sure he disturbed them as little as possible.

“Yes, I’m sure he is.”

_I just hope that’s all that’s wrong…_

****

The next morning:

     Ignis glanced at the clock with a frown as he stepped back into their rooms, it was already midmorning, and there was still no sign of Noctis. He had ordered the others to let him sleep a little longer earlier, but this…this was unusual even for Noct, and the concern he had felt the night before returned with a vengeance as he glanced towards the bedroom.

“Is Noct still asleep?”

“We haven’t seen him, and you said to leave him,” Gladio reminded him, glancing up from the newspaper and Ignis was distracted for a moment by the image of Insomnia on the cover, expression darkening for a moment before he sighed. There was nothing they could do about that just yet, but it was a reminder that they couldn’t linger and as much as he wanted to give Noctis a chance to rest properly they had already stayed longer than he wanted, and so he turned to Prompto who was fiddling with his camera. “Prompto go and wake him up…gently.” He added as he caught the mischievous grin that had greeted his order, and he knew that he was right to have added the warning when Prompto groaned and pouted at him.

“Aww…”

“Gently, Prompto.”

“Fine…” With a huff the blond pushed himself out of the chair, shooting him a final appealing look which he replied to with a stern glare, doubting that Noctis would appreciate being leapt on or having water flung at him if he was feeling under the weather and Prompto subsided.

“You realise he’s probably going to pay you back one morning?” Gladio asked with a chuckle as they watched the blond slipping into the bedroom, holding out the paper to Ignis who accepted it with a sigh, nodding as he sank into the opposite chair.

“No doubt…”

**

    Any thoughts that Prompto might have had about disobeying Ignis vanished when he reached Noctis’ bedside, a little irritated that his calls had gone unanswered, the irritation disappearing as well as he caught sight of his friend’s face. He was used to Noctis being pale, teasing him about it endlessly when they spent so much time outside, and yet he never seemed to tan. But there was something about this paleness and the sight of sweat beading on his forehead that made him uneasy, and he was somewhat hesitant as he reached out to shake Noctis awake.

    The cry that followed was something that would take him a long time to forget, it spoke of pain and fear and reminded him far too vividly of the time Noct had been attacked when they were younger, and he stumbled backwards, wide-eyed as Noct curled in on himself with a whimper.

“Noct…”

“What happened?” He hadn’t realised how loud Noctis’ cry had been, but he had never been so relieved to see Ignis as the older man rushed to his side, glancing from him and blanching at whatever was showing in his expression, before turning his attention to Noctis. “What did you do?”

“I tried to shake him awake, I barely touched him…” _And I hurt him._ There was no denying that, and he shrank back, flinching when Noctis whimpered again, fighting against Ignis as the older man reached for him, trying to unfold him from his huddled position.

 “Noct! Noct!” Ignis called, paying the others no mind, completely focused on the Prince and after a minute he was rewarded with pained, blue eyes slipping open. Although it wasn’t much of a reward, he realised, noticing how Noctis was struggling to focus on him and the pain that the younger man was no longer able to hide and he growled. “Noct, you need to tell me what’s wrong.” It was an order. It was clear now that he had been hiding something from them, and he cursed himself for not pursuing his concern the previous night, and he narrowed his eyes when Noctis shook his head, managing to look stubborn even as he whimpered again. “Noct!” Another shake of the head and he growled, before remembering what Prompto had said and cautiously reaching out, the sharp cry that greeted his touch telling him that he was spot on.

“Gladio I need the medical kit.” He didn’t look to check the other man was obeying, instead focusing on trying to get Noctis to straighten out so that he could get a proper look at what was wrong, but Noctis wasn’t making it easy for him, fighting him and shaking his head with a desperation that he didn’t understand. _Why didn’t he want them to help?_

“Damn it,” Gladio’s cursing made him reluctantly look away from Noctis, eyes narrowing as he took in the medical kit that the other man was holding, able to see from where he was that it was emptier than it should’ve been and he swallowed. _Noct, what did you do?_ Gladio didn’t look any better when he met his gaze, eyes darting to the huddled form on the bed, and Ignis had a feeling that the angry growl that followed was born more of fear rather than anger. “He’s practically emptied out the medical kit…”

“Go to the shop,” Ignis ordered turning his attention to Prompto who was still staring at Noctis with wide eyes, guilt written across his face, and he sighed. It wasn’t the blond’s fault, but he didn’t have time to comfort him right now, and he was pleased to see Prompto straighten at his words. “Get me whatever they have in the way of medical supplies.”

“On it,” Prompto nodded, looking relieved to have something to do, but he took a trembling step before focusing on Noctis once more and faltering, and Ignis couldn’t blame him, and his voice was softer as he prompted him into movement.

“Go!”

      That worked, and he heard the younger man practically running out of the room, taking a deep breath as he turned his attention back to Noctis. The sliver of blue had disappeared, and he had stilled while Ignis had been distracted by the others, and he wasn’t sure if he was even still conscious. Maybe that was a good thing, although it did nothing to ease his concern and he forced himself to move, hands gentle as he carefully eased Noctis out of his hunched position. Searching for any hint of a reaction from the Prince, but aside from the pained expression that seemed to have taken up residence on the pale features, there was no sign he was aware of what was happening.

    That changed when he carefully began to lift up the t-shirt, relieved that it was baggy, giving him room to work. He had just caught his first glimpse of the bandages hidden beneath it that Noctis came to life again, struggling to pull away from him, although the movements were weaker than before and it was worryingly easy for him to hold him in place.

“Easy Noct,” Ignis soothed, not letting his concern or irritation bleed into his voice, waiting until blue eyes crept open again before adding softly. “I just need to have a look.” It wasn’t a request, and he saw something darken in Noctis’ eyes for a moment. Fear and resignation crossing his face before he gave a tiny nod, eyes slipping closed a moment later and this time Ignis had a feeling that he had lost consciousness.

     Without Noctis fighting against him, it was easy work to lift the t-shirt, cursing as he realised the extent of the bandaging and the blood that had soaked through the material. _This is bad._ He didn’t say that aloud though, silently accepting the scissors that Gladio handed him, cutting away the t-shirt with a wince knowing how much Noctis liked it, but it was easier than trying to remove it in any other way. Besides, he had a feeling that Gladio would let him steal another one. Tossing the ruined top aside, he carefully began to remove the bandages, hissing sympathetically as he caught his first glimpse of the wound hidden beneath, the noise morphing into a growl as he realised that his idiotic charge had tried to deal with it by himself.

“Noct…”

“Why didn’t he say anything?” Gladio’s voice was softer than he had ever heard it, and he glanced up, taking in the pained expression on his friend’s voice as he studied the wound and he could see him replaying the day before, the fight. Eyes dark as he no doubt recalled how sharply he’d spoken to Noctis during the fight, and he saw the anger that came with it. Anger that they hadn’t realised what was happening, and anger that Noctis had tried to hide it. “He usually can’t wait to complain…”

“Can’t he?” Ignis asked, calmer than he felt as he removed the rest of the bandages, before studying the wound and wincing as he realised that he was going to have to remove the stitches and start over. The red edges fanning his fear. It was too late for potions, and they couldn’t just walk into a hospital with the Imperials still hunting for them. He had learned to deal with injuries like this a long time ago, that didn’t mean he wanted to do it out here in a motel with basic supplies, and especially not when Noct was his patient, but they didn’t have much choice.

“Ignis?”

“Noct complains long and loud about being hungry or tired or cold,” he replied, fond exasperation colouring his voice, wishing that Noctis was awake to grumble and complain at him right now because at least then he would know that it wasn’t that serious. “Things that are easily fixed and require no special attention. But when it’s something…serious.” Ignis faltered at that, staring down at the wound and trying not to focus on just how dangerous this might be. Or what could have happened if Prompto hadn’t stumbled onto the truth, making a note to point that out to the blond later when things were calmer. “He never says a word.”

“But…”

“Do you not remember when he was ill?”

“Which time?” There was a hint of strained humour in the question, as though Gladio was trying to remind them of how much Noctis had survived, but Ignis frowned at the question, his gaze focused on Noctis and the strained rise and fall of his chest.

“When he was twelve.” It was all he needed to say, the sharp intake of breath reassuring him that the other man remembered. “He had been ill for days,” he murmured softly, reaching up to brush the dark hair away from Noctis’ face and scowling at the heat he could feel beneath his fingers, fear curling in the pit of his stomach. It was too similar to how it had been back then, and he had to close his eyes, remembering the sheer terror of that night years ago, when he had gone to find Noctis when he hadn’t shown up for a lesson. Walking in to find him crumpled on his bedroom floor, burning with a fever that had very nearly killed him.  “If he hadn’t collapsed when he had, we wouldn’t have found out until it was too late to do anything.” _Just like this…_

“I had forgotten…”

“He’s very good at hiding things when he wants to be.” It wasn’t a compliment. Both Ignis and Regis had torn strips out of Noctis back then for keeping it secret for so long, and for a time it seemed to have helped, but apparently, that lesson had been forgotten…and yet…Noctis had been more open with the three of them since Insomnia had fallen than he had ever been with anyone, which made his decision to hide this wound that much harder to understand, and he sighed, staring at the pale features. “I just wish I knew why he hid this.”

**

     It wasn’t long before Prompto came charging back into the room, practically falling over his feet and breathing heavily as he stumbled to a halt.

“I got everything they had…Noct…” He trailed off with a pained whisper, wide-eyed as he stared at his best friend and the wound that was now clearly visible, swallowing thickly. “Why…?” _Why didn’t he tell us…?_

“Set it down over there,” Ignis ordered, not trying to answer the unspoken question and instead leaning forward, hating himself for it as he gently reached and shook Noctis, careful to keep his fingers away from the wound. As much as he didn’t want Noctis awake for what he was about to do, he didn’t want him waking up in the middle of it and panicking.  “Noct? Noct can you hear me?” It took several minutes of repetition before he was rewarded with a soft whimper that made him falter, wincing in sympathy as he saw the moment the pain slam into Noctis once more, cautiously holding him in place when the Prince threatened to double in on himself.

“No…”

“Sorry Noct,” he murmured, knowing that slightest touch must be agony at the moment, but it was better than having him unintentionally ripping the stitches and causing more damage. “Noctis, I need you to look at me and listen to what I’m saying.” He hated himself for asking, but he needed to make sure that he understood and he had to wait, aware of his worried audience, as Noctis fought to open his eyes, his gaze unfocused and pained when he finally managed to coax them open, and for a moment his voice caught at the sight. _Noct…_ It seemed that he was destined to see his charge in pain at the moment, the expression nearly as bad as the raw pain he had shown the day they had gone to see Insomnia for themselves, and he knew that he was going to have to make things worse before they could get better.  “Noct. I need to remove the stitches and clean your wound, it…it’s going to hurt.” For a moment, he was rewarded with something that looked like comprehension, but then Noctis frowned, gaze turning unfocused once more although it lingered on his face, his expression settling into one of confusion and longing.

“D-Dad…?”

    There were matching intakes of breath from behind him, and he heard Gladiolus cursing softly under his breath, and for a moment he was frozen, anguish and shock leaving him unable to reply and when he did his voice shook.

“Noct…”

“D-Dad…” Noctis pleaded, sounding painfully young and Ignis was brought up short. It was so easy to forget that he was young and that he had been through more than most people could endure in the last few weeks and his expression tightened. “I want my D-Dad…I want him…”

“I…” Ignis faltered, swallowing as he shared a pained look with Gladio. It had only been when he was sick or injured that Noctis had been guaranteed to see his father, and clearly, that had left its mark, the longing in Noctis’ voice cutting him to the core. How could he remind him of what had happened when he was like this? How could he remind him that Regis couldn’t come no matter how much he called for him? Ignis didn’t have the heart to do it, and after a moment he rested a hand on the Prince’s cheek, taking a deep breath to make sure that his voice wouldn’t waver and betray the lie. “He’s on his way, but if you want to see him, then you have to have to let me take care of you, and rest.”

    Noctis stared at him for a long moment, searching for something in his expression and Ignis had to fight the urge to shift beneath his gaze, sure that the lie must be written across his face. He waited, half expecting Noctis to call him on it, but instead, he was greeted with a relieved expression that cut him to the core, the lie laying heavily in the air between them. He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding when Noctis nodding slightly a moment later, eyes closing once more now that he had been given what he wanted. As he slowly pulled his hand away from Noctis’ cheek, Ignis prayed that he wouldn’t remember this conversation, not least because he knew the younger man would hate the fact that he had shown such weakness around them.

_Please, forgive me for lying to you Noct…_

 


	3. Chapter 3

   Ignis managed to hold himself together for the most part as he worked, hands perfectly steady as he slowly, patiently undid the messy stitches, losing himself in the medical training he had sought specifically so that he could care for Noctis. _But not like this_. He faltered for a minute, his failures piling up and threatening to overwhelm him. He had failed to notice that his charge was injured, it didn’t matter that Noctis had apparently made the choice to conceal it from them, he should have noticed, after all that was his duty. His oath. And then to make matters worse he had lied to his King, the words haunting him, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue. _Would Noct ever forgive him?_ He wasn’t sure that he wanted the answer to that question, highly aware of the eyes watching him work, wondering what Gladio and Prompto made of his lie. They had both been silent so far, letting him work, but he knew that it wouldn’t last forever, and he had to take a deep breath before forcing himself to continue.

    He managed to distract himself with the thought that he needed to teach Noctis how to do this properly, just in case. In case he no longer trusted Ignis after this, in case he was ever alone. It was an old distraction technique, making plans, lists of things that needed to be done, focusing on what he could change rather than those things that were out of his control. It was what had helped him keep moving after the fall of Insomnia, why he could focus and plan when the others were caught up in what had happened. It didn’t stop the pain, the memories, but it delayed them and allowed him to function for as long as possible, and that was what he needed here. Because Noctis needed him.

     Noctis must’ve been deeply under at this point, because apart from a furrowing of his brow and the odd twitch he showed no real discomfort as Ignis painstakingly cleaned the wound, muttering to himself under his breath as he carefully removed every speck of dirt he could find. What had Noct been thinking trying to hide something this serious? When he was younger, it was because he was torn between worrying that he would drag his father away from his work, and fearing that he wouldn’t care, not that Noctis had ever admitted as much, but Ignis knew him and knew how his mind worked. Most of the time, because he didn’t understand why he had hidden this wound.  If Prompto hadn’t tried to wake him in the way that he had…

    That thought was better left unfinished, and he pushed it to the back of his mind with practised ease. He had grown quite talented at pushing away unwelcome thoughts since the moment they had heard Insomnia had fallen. Once he was satisfied the wound was as clean as he could get it without taking Noctis to a hospital, he began to carefully thread the needle, not relishing the thought of having to stitch up the wound. It wasn’t the first time he had been forced to stitch up Noctis’s injuries, the young Prince had experienced his fair share of accidents even with Ignis watching him and more often than not he had preferred Ignis fix him up, both pretending that Ignis wouldn’t later inform his father or the royal doctor. But they had been relatively minor scrapes the results of boyish escapades. Whereas this wound had been inflicted deliberately, with the intent to main or kill, and his hands shook for a moment.

_They nearly succeeded this time…_

“Iggy,” Gladio’s soft murmur grounded him, and he glanced at the shield for a moment. There was anger there, but it didn’t seem to be directed at Ignis, and he wasn’t sure if it was aimed at Noct, Gladio or the situation in general, not sure that he really wanted to know the answer as they all raised further problems. But it was swiftly masked as Gladio gave him an encouraging nod, and Ignis took a deep breath and nodded, gathering himself for the last step, listening as Prompto moved restlessly behind him, no doubt finding somewhere where he wouldn’t be able to watch this part.

    Calmer he began to work, murmuring softly when Noctis tensed in places, whimpering although he never roused enough to feel it all. His stitches were neat, as tidy as he could make it, wanting to try and limit the scarring that would come from this, gaze shifting to other, older scars as he worked. Noctis already had enough reminders of attempts on his life, he didn’t want him to have more.

    By the time he finished the last stitch, he was wrung out, fingers trembling slightly as he tied off the thread, carefully setting the supplies to the side just in case they needed them later. Even with his best efforts, it was an ugly wound, made worse by the flush of the skin around it, skin that burnt beneath his touch as he smeared potion over the area. It wouldn’t heal it instantly like it would’ve earlier, but it would at least ease the healing process and right now Ignis would take anything he could get. That done he made quick work of rebandaging the wound, careful not to disturb the stitches. Noctis mumbled under his breath for a moment, trying to escape the pressure being put on the injury before he settled once more, forehead creased in pain and fingers twitching, reaching blindly into the air and Ignis felt a pang as he knew exactly what his charge was searching for.

Something he could never have again.

“Noct…” It hurt to watch him reaching for his father, to know that his lie had fanned the need, but he couldn’t ignore Noctis’s distress, lightly running his fingers through dishevelled black hair, trying to soothe the younger man, aching at the way Noctis leant into the touch. Normally he would’ve found it endearing, but today all he could think about was Noctis pleading for his father, wondering if that was what he was imagining right now as he slowly drew his fingers away. Wondering if Noctis would recoil if he had known that it was him if he knew about the lie. _I’m so sorry Noct._

    His control was wavering now that he no longer needed to focus so intently, the trembling spreading as he rearranged the covers over Noctis, not bothering to replace the damaged shirt just yet as he knew that he would need to recheck the wound to make sure it wasn’t getting worse over the next few hours. Once he was satisfied that Noctis was as comfortable as he could make him right now, he turned to look at Prompto, managing a strained smile, as he realised just how pale the blond was, fear written across his face as he stared at his best friend.  “Prompto will you watch over him for a few minutes?” He saw the surprise and knew that Prompto had half-expected them to blame him for hurting Noctis earlier, and Ignis sighed, lacking the energy to reassure him properly. “He just needs to rest for now, but he can’t be left alone.”

“Of course,” Prompto mumbled, apparently satisfied with that much right now, but he still looked hesitant as he took a step closer to the bed.  “But…” _What if something goes wrong? What if I hurt him again._

“I won’t be long,” Ignis promised him, hearing the unspoken questions, but unable to address them as his own control was at breaking point. “I just need a moment.” He needed more than that, feeling himself inching closer and closer to shattering now that he no longer had Noctis to focus on, and he had to fight back a flinch when he saw the comprehension on Prompto’s face, unable to bring himself to look at Gladio.

    He fled before either of them could say anything, unable to bear the thought of their sympathy, the bedroom door closing a little too loudly behind him.

“Gladio…” Prompto looked torn, glancing between where Ignis had just fled and the still figure on the bed. Gladio sighed, pushing himself away from the wall and moving towards the bed, letting himself have a proper look at Noctis for a moment. He had wanted to be at his King’s side from the start, but he knew that Ignis was the best one of to deal with this mess and that the other man had needed to take care of Noctis, knowing that had helped more than anything any of them could have said to him. It was the same for him he realised, as just seeing Noctis and watching the rise and fall of his chest, still ragged, hinting at the fever running through him, was helping to ease the kernel of fear in the pit of Gladio’s stomach. _He had failed, but Noctis was still here, and he would recover._

“I’ll go,” he murmured after a moment, feeling steadier than he had since they’d first found Noctis, clapping Prompto on the shoulder as he moved past him, pausing for a moment as he felt the blond flinch and looking at him knowing eyes. “This wasn’t your fault.”

“But…”

“What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t found him when you did?” Gladio cut across the weak protest, trying not to let himself focus on what could’ve happened, instead watching the comprehension on Prompto’s face and patting his shoulder again Gladio added quietly. “Think on that.”

_We all need to think about what we could’ve lost, and how to stop it from happening again._

    He didn’t say that aloud, knowing that they were all already thinking about it and instead resumed his path to the door, glancing back as he reached it, pleased to see Prompto straightening his shoulders before moving across to the bed and settling on the edge of it, gaze fixated on Noctis. One down, one to go he thought, but it wasn’t an overly optimistic thought as he had a feeling that Ignis was going to be harder to deal with.

**

    He was surprised to find that Ignis was still in the living room, having half expected to have to track him down, before realising that there was no way the other man would leave while Noctis still needed him, sighing as he closed the bedroom door behind him. Ignis was slumped in one of the armchairs, shoulders bowed in a way that Gladio had never seen before, his head buried in his hands and he hesitated. This was a side of Ignis that he had never seen before, even back when Noctis had been seriously ill and holding on by a thread, a side that seemed frightenedly fragile and in all honesty, it scared him.  Gladio knew that his usual bluntness might be the final straw here and that if he didn’t want to make the situation worse, he was going to have to choose his words with care, worrying at his bottom lip before he quietly moved across the room, sinking into the chair opposite.

    He waited a couple of minutes, hoping that Ignis would reach out to him and offer him a starting point, but the room was silent, leaving him no escape from the other man’s increasingly shaky breathing and eventually he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“Iggy…”

“I lied to him.” Apparently, that one word had been enough to break the stalemate, although Ignis still refused to look at him, his voice cracking in the middle. Gladio couldn’t refute his words, still shocked that Ignis had lied in the first place, although he honestly couldn’t have said what he would have done if he had been in his position, closing his eyes as he remembered the pleading note in Noctis’ voice when he had asked for his father. It had been a blow to the heart, a stark reminder that Noctis despite being their King, their hope…the hope of everyone…was still young, and that he had lost everything. It was something Gladio knew they should have acknowledged before, but they had all been caught up in their own losses and the constant need to move, to fight, to survive and so they had ignored it, and now it seemed determined to punish them for that oversight. “Gladio…I lied to him. I’ve never lied to him before, and then I told him the worst possible lie. I told him something that can’t possibly happen, no matter how much any of us might wish otherwise.”

    Finally, Ignis looked up at him, the raw pain and fear in his expression leaving Gladio breathless, and for a moment he was reminded painfully of the fact that it was just the four of them. That there was no one else who could handle this, who could fix these hurts, and he sucked in a deep breath, terrified that he wouldn’t be enough, especially when Ignis looked away once more, voice low as he asked. “What if he doesn’t forgive me?” _What if he hates me?_ Gladio faltered, unsure of what to say. If he was honest, he had never considered a situation where he would hear Ignis asking those questions, and he had no idea what to say. But he could tell that Ignis needed him to, that he needed an answer, whether good or bad and sighed, choosing his words with care.

    He knew from a purely practical point of view it was a real concern, they needed Noctis to trust them to be able to support him, to keep him safe. Yet they had already failed in that to some degree because something must have happened to make Noctis hide the injury from them in the first place. However, he knew that Ignis didn’t want practicality right now, easily catching the hidden meaning in his question and sighing again, frowning. Would Noctis hate Ignis for the lie? That was if he even remembered it of course. But it was hard for Gladio to imagine Noctis not forgiving Ignis, the two having become inseparable from the moment they had been introduced and he said as much, unsurprised when Ignis didn’t look convinced by his words.

“Look, Iggy, I can’t say for sure how he’s going to react,” Gladio admitted, eyes straying to the bedroom door. It had shocked all of them when Noctis had asked for his father, and he knew that his reaction would have been different, that he would have tried to remind Noctis of the situation. Just as he was fairly sure that would have been the wrong decision. They had needed Noctis to trust them so they could help him, and the easiest and quickest way had been to give him the words he was looking for, and he couldn’t fault Ignis for doing just that. “For all, we know he might not even remember asking for his father.” He pointed out reasonably, hoping that was the case, although that would leave Ignis bearing the burden of his lie with Noctis not able to ease it. “However, if he does remember it, then I think he would understand…and if he doesn’t, we’ll work around it.”

“But…”

“Ignis,” Gladio cut him off sternly, experiencing a momentary smugness when Ignis’s mouth snapped shut without argument, unable to remember the last time he had managed to silence the other man. It was short-lived though, and he rubbed a weary hand across his face before continuing. “He’s alive, and while it’s going to take time, he’s going to heal and be okay because of you.” There was still the risk of complications, and they needed to understand why he had tried to hide it, but he had faith that Noctis would pull through it, after all, how couldn’t he with Ignis watching over him now?  “Focus on that for now, and everything else will fall into place.”

    Ignis was staring at him, still looking unbelievably weary, but there was a spark of something that had been missing moments before, his lips twisting into a weak smile. “When did you become so wise?” It was lightly teasing, and Gladio responded in kind, feeling some of the weight lifting from his shoulders as Ignis straightened a little.

“I spent some time with this one guy, you might know him…wears specs and drinks an unhealthy amount of Ebony.

“Yes, I think I might know him.”

****

   The rest of the day passed slowly, with at least one of them by Noctis’ side at all times, although he never roused enough to be aware of this fact. The others usually loitered nearby even if they weren’t on duty, none of them willing to stray too far, although Gladio would occasionally venture out to make sure that no one was taking an unhealthy interest in their stay, determined to make sure that no one else got a chance to hurt Noctis. Ignis never left the room. Although it had taken both Prompto and Gladio to convince him to sit beside his charge when they had finally decided that it was time for food. Practically pushing him across and forcing him to sit, knowing that he wouldn’t dare to move once he was alone with Noctis and half hoping that Noctis would choose that time to wake up.

He didn’t.

   He managed to stir just enough as evening settled for Ignis to coax some water and a potion down him, slipping under before they could even attempt to get him to eat, and they were torn between concern and disappointment that he hadn’t woken properly and relief that he hadn’t roused and asked for Regis again. Still, it promised to be a long night, the fever holding steady despite their best efforts to bring it down, evident in the unhealthy flush that stood out starkly against pale skin, and in the way, he would twist and turn at times, mumbling things that they could never make out.

    Ignis took the night shift, ignoring the others offers to take a shift, silencing them with a quiet. “I need to watch over him.” _I need to make amends,_ they both heard the unspoken words, and while they disagreed, they didn’t argue, because there had been an edge of desperation to his voice that worried them. They still woke frequently throughout the night, never able to rest fully because of their worry and more than once they were roused by Noctis who became increasingly restless in the early hours, the fever seeming to dredge up bad memories as they caught him pleading for his parents…for Luna…to go home, each plea another blow to their hearts. Throughout it, all Ignis was there, a sentinel at his side, and more than once they had woken to hear him talking to Noctis in a soft, soothing voice, murmuring stories that he had told him when he was younger, talking about happier times. Sometimes they lay awake to listen, needing the reminder of how things had been, other times they rolled over and went back to sleep, giving Ignis his privacy to care for his King.

And like that the night slowly passed.

**

    The next day was much of the same, Noctis still resting fitfully, rousing enough to take water and a potion, but never enough to talk to them, always asleep again before they could settle him back under the covers. Ignis finally rested while the other two watched over Noctis, although it was a restless sleep and every few minutes they found his eyes open as he checked on Noctis, and he looked more tired than ever when he abandoned his efforts. It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that they finally saw signs that the fever was beginning to recede, Noctis becoming more settled, his breathing more even as the flush started to fade from his cheeks. It was helped by the fact that Gladio had found no signs that their presence had been noted, and had ventured out further afield to stock up their medical supplies and to try to find some stronger medicine to help Noctis, the fortified potion marking a turning point in the fever.

    Still, it was nearly midnight when Noctis finally began to rouse. Drawing their attention away from their stilted conversation as he shifted under the covers, moving with purpose for once, pushing at them and grumbling when they refused to move. Ignis having been careful to tuck him firmly to limit his movements and the possibility of him harming himself further when he had become too restless with the fever. Prompto was already sat on the edge of his bed, it being his turn to watch his friend, although Gladio and Ignis had been sat on their own beds and had immediately sprung to their feet as they realised what was happening. He ignored them as he reached out to grasp Noctis’ hands and thwart his efforts to push the covers off. Pleased to feel that the sickening heat was fading as he squeezed his best friend’s hands, watching his face intently as Noctis frowned, nose wrinkling as he tried to claw his way to proper consciousness for the first time in two days.

    It was a slow process, and Prompto was aware of Gladio and Ignis moving closer, although not too close, not wanting to overwhelm Noctis. There were a couple of times when he thought that Noct had given up, his expression evening out again and his breathing deepening, but finally, he was rewarded with a sliver of blue. It was slightly unfocused, but more in the way that Noct usually was when they woke him too early than the confused daze the fever had caused and Prompto’s smile was more genuine because of it. “Look who’s finally awake.” Noctis blinked, eyes slowly focusing on Prompto, taking in his dishevelled appearance before tracing his arms down to where he was still holding Noctis’ hands, Noctis curling his fingers weakly around his in return.

“Prompto…”

“The one and only,” Prompto replied with a weak grin, not quite able to sum up his usual cheer when Noctis moved and gasped as he caught his side, eyes immediately darting to Prompto, guilt and alarm written across his face and Prompto sighed. “I already know Noct…” There was no point in denying it, and he was unsurprised when Noctis pulled back, trying not to look at him as he mumbled quietly.

“I’m sorry…”

“I know,” Prompto soothed, biting back the urge to ask why Noctis had hidden something so important from them as he took in the miserable expression on his best friend’s face. Noctis didn’t relax, but he dared to meet Prompto’s gaze before pleading.

“Don’t tell the others…especially Specs.”

“Er Noct…” Prompto began, realising that Noctis had been so focused on waking up and the fact that he knew his secret that he hadn’t realised they weren’t alone, however, he cut himself off when he caught Ignis shaking his head. It took him a moment to realise that they were hoping that Noctis would reveal why he had been hiding this, and he faltered, not sure how he felt about tricking the answer out of his best friend. But they needed to know if only to stop something like this from happening again, and he swallowed, fighting to stop himself from looking at Ignis and Gladio. “Why don’t you want me to tell them?”

    Noctis frowned, still struggling to wake up properly and he was slow to process the question, eyes slipping shut at one point and Prompto was starting to think that he had dropped off again when he finally replied. “Tired…worried.” Apparently, he was running out of steam, struggling to put his thoughts into words, opening his eyes to peer up at Prompto. “You don’t need more…problems…because of me.” Prompto flinched at the words. Deep down he had always known that Noct blamed himself for the fact that they were on the run and always in danger, but his friend had never mentioned it, masking it behind feigned naps and forced humour, and it hurt to see those defences stripped away. He apparently wasn’t the only one to feel that way because there was a choked noise from the other side of the room, and Prompto looked up just in time to see Ignis elbowing Gladio to stop the outburst that he clearly wanted to make in response to those words.

   Unfortunately, the noise had also drawn Noctis’ attention, his eyes slowly opening and Prompto felt the way he flinched and recoiled as he realised that they weren’t as alone as he’d thought. “Noct…” He whispered, seeing the hurt and then the guilt on his friend’s face, but Noctis was retreating, curling in on himself, only to let out a pained noise as he was reminded that it wasn’t a good idea to move like that.

    Prompto didn’t see Ignis move, but suddenly he was there, nudging him out of the way so that he could get to Noctis and Prompto slipped out of the way without complaint. Ignis was gentle but firm, just as he had always been with Noct, ignoring his weak attempts to bat his hands away as he helped him straighten out again. “Easy Noct,” he murmured as his efforts drew a soft whimper from Noct, nothing in his voice to indicate that he had heard what Noctis had said about causing them problems or of his own fear that Noctis wouldn’t forgive him, but it was there in his eyes when he looked up for a minute.

   Instead, it was Noctis, now laid out in a more comfortable position, covers pulled back as Ignis checked to make sure he hadn’t disturbed the stitches who broached the subject, reaching up to catch him by the shirt sleeve with trembling fingers. “Ignis…” There was a wealth of meaning in that word, and Ignis sighed, abandoning his efforts to check the wound, gently freeing himself from Noctis’ grasp and taking his hand instead, waiting for him to meet his gaze.

“We’ll talk about it once you’ve rested.” That appeared to have been what Noctis needed to hear because there was a flicker of protest in his expression, but he didn’t voice it, eyes already threatening to close, what little strength he’d had exhausted. However, before he could drift off completely, Ignis squeezed his hands to get his attention, lips quirking for a moment at the mulish glare he received, relieved to see a glimpse of the normal Noctis before he sobered. “However, you are not and nor, will you ever be a problem.” It was delivered with the same certainty, the same weight that he always gave his words, and Prompto knew that was precisely what Noctis had needed, and that no one else could have done it, catching the suspicious shimmer in blue eyes before Noctis closed his eyes again.

    He wasn’t naïve enough to think that was the end of it, seeing it in the way that Noctis’ fingers were turning white with how tightly he was holding onto Ignis even as he slipped closer to sleep, and Ignis’s shoulders slumped as he settled on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to fall asleep completely. Hearing it in the way that Gladio was muttering angrily to himself as he gathered his sword and slipped out of the room, no doubt going to find somewhere to work through his anger despite the late hour, and he could feel it himself, shaking slightly as his hands curled into fists at his side.

_Noct…_

 

 


End file.
